Injured Green
by Kenna Monster
Summary: After a grueling fight with Tenaya 7, Ziggy tries to keep his concussion a secret from the others in an attempt to not appear weak anymore. But will his stubborn refusal to admit he's injured only make matters worse?
1. Chapter 1

"Ziggy, Ziggy can you hear me?" Dillon asked. Ziggy felt rough hands grab him and lift his head up off the ground and he fought against them, thinking they were the attack bot coming back for more.

"Easy, it's okay I got you," Dillon said, and slowly Ziggy relaxed. He realized his eyes were closed and fought to open them.

"What happened?" he asked, slowly sitting up.

"Attack bot tried to smash your head into the ground," Flynn replied.

"Oh wow," Ziggy said, willing his headache to go away. It was hard enough sitting upright without the pounding in his temples making him want to cry. Summer noticed his discomfort and kneeled beside him.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked.

"Yah, yah I'm fine. Just a little scraped and bruised, but nothing too serious," Ziggy replied.

"You were out of it for a couple minutes, maybe we should have Doctor K check your head," Scott suggested.

"No, I'm okay," Ziggy argued.

"Alright, well can we get back to the garage? I need a hot shower," Flynn said.

Dillon stood up, grabbing Ziggy by the arm and pulling him up. He watched him closely, the way he swayed slightly, or winced as Dillon revved his engine. He didn't care what Ziggy said, he was taking him straight to Doctor K.

Ziggy could hear people talking, but as if from a great distance. "He fell asleep on the ride back," someone said, and he thought he recognized the voice as Dillon.

"Should we try to move him?" someone else asked.

"He did hit his head pretty hard," a third voice said.

"Bring him to the lab," a fourth voice directed, and then Ziggy felt himself floating. Then there were bright lights and someone was poking at him and shaking his shoulder. He thought maybe they were calling his name, but wasn't sure. Everything was fuzzy and confusing, and his head seemed to be filled with clouds. All he wanted to do was sleep, but then something sharp poked him in the finger and he was rudely jerked awake.

"Ranger series green, I need you to open your eyes," Doctor K commanded. Ziggy tried, each eyelid feeling like it was weighed down with a ton of bricks. Finally he was able to blink them open, and looked around at Summer, Dillon, Flynn, Scott and Doctor K who were all standing around him.

"What's going on?" he asked, the words slightly slurred.

Doctor K shone a small light into each of his eyes. "Definitely a concussion," she said.

"Why didn't his suit heal him before he powered down?" Dillon asked.

"Perhaps the attack bot managed to exert a force strong enough to disrupt his helmet's mechanisms," Doctor K replied, going over to her main computer and beginning to type in different commands.

Ziggy closed his eyes, the world feeling like it was tilting to one side.

"No, Ziggy you have to stay awake," Scott said, shaking his shoulder. Ziggy opened his eyes, glaring around.

"I feel fine," he lied.

"No headache, no aversion to bright lights, no nausea?" Doctor K asked, peeking past her computer to look at him.

"Nope, totally fine. Just needed a little nap," he replied as he sat up, willing his stomach to keep his food down long enough for him to escape everyone's incessant worry. His head was killing him, but he would never let them know that.

"I must insist you stay here for more tests, just so I can make sure you're fully operational," Doctor K said.

"Look, I feel fine alright? I just want to go take a shower and lie down," Ziggy snapped, knowing he was being rude but also knowing that as the weakest member of the team, if he admitted he was injured he was only proving everyone's worst suspicions about him true. That he didn't deserve to be a ranger, that he wasn't strong enough. He didn't care if he was dying, he wasn't going to let any of them know.

He quickly left the room, trying to ignore the worried glances everyone shot at each other. They would probably talk about him, but for the moment he didn't care. He just wanted lie down on his bed with all the lights off and sleep. He hoped that would make the world stop spinning and make him able to walk in a straight line.


	2. Chapter 2

[AN: sorry it's a short chapter, but I really wanted to update! Enjoy!]

* * *

"Hey, Ziggy, come on rise and shine," Dillon said, reaching over and shaking his roommate's shoulder gently. He knew that Ziggy had been lying about the headache, could see the way his best friend was reacting to light and loud noises when they had gotten back to the garage, but he didn't press him for answers. Ziggy was one of those people; the more you tried to make him talk, the less he would. Dillon had slowly learned that over the months that they had been teammates, roommates, and now friends.

"Come on dude, Doctor K wants us all downstairs for some training," Dillon said, shaking Ziggy's shoulder a little harder. He didn't like how noncompliant Ziggy was.

"Zig?" Dillon asked, bending over to check his breathing. He was breathing, but it was fast and shallow. Taking a split second to think, Dillon decided Ziggy could hate him later, at the moment he just wanted to make sure his friend was okay. Scooping the much lighter green ranger up in his arms, Dillon quickly headed downstairs.

"Did Series Green mention any injuries when he returned to the garage?" Doctor K asked as she scanned Ziggy, who lay on the medical bed, still unconscious.

"No, but I knew he had a headache from the way he was acting," Dillon replied.

"Tenaya did hit him pretty hard," Flynn added.

"Where?" Doctor K demanded.

"Back of the head, he was out for at least a minute," Scott replied. Doctor K opened Ziggy's eye and checked his pupil, then checked the other one.

"Concussion," she said, beginning to scan his head. "I need to run more tests, but my main priority is getting him to wake up. Normally with a concussion, the person isn't allowed to sleep for twelve hours afterwards just to make sure there isn't any lasting brain damage. And since Series Green won't awaken, I'm concerned."

"What should we do?" Summer asked.

"For now, relax. We won't know anything for sure until the tests are finished," Doctor K replied. Summer, Flynn and Scott left the room, Dillon still standing there, staring at Ziggy.

"This isn't your fault," Doctor K said, noticing the intense look on Dillon's face.

"I should've known something was wrong with him," Dillon argued. "I should've taken better care of him."

"Go with the others, I'll let you know what I find the second the tests are done," Doctor K said, gently shoving Dillon towards the door. He looked over his shoulder at Ziggy, who was lying so still on the table, before leaving the room.

* * *

"Rangers!" Doctor K said over the intercom, and all of them hurried into the med bay, hoping to find out more news about Ziggy. What they didn't expect is to find the green ranger holding his blaster aimed at Doctor K, who was hiding behind her computer.

"Ziggy, why don't you put down the blaster and we can talk," Summer said gently, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Don't want to talk," Ziggy replied, swaying slightly on his feet. Scott looked at Dillon, who nodded, and the two of them walked forward on either side of him, hands held up in surrender. With his attention divided between the two of them, Flynn stepped in front of Doctor K, shielding her, and Scott was able to grab Ziggy's blaster while Dillon quickly hoisted him back up onto the bed.

"He awoke and didn't know where he was," Doctor K explained, coming out from behind her computer. "He was extremely disoriented and thought I was to blame."

"Ziggy, how are you feeling?" Dillon asked. He watched his friend blink slowly a few times, his eyes unfocused.

"Tired," Ziggy replied, closing his eyes.

"No, we must keep him awake!" Doctor K said, rushing forward and jabbing Ziggy in the arm with a needle. He jerked awake, frowning at her.

"That hurt!" he whined.

"We have to keep him awake for twelve hours, to make sure the damage isn't permanent," Doctor K instructed the other rangers.

"This outta be fun," Flynn teased.


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Summer asked, pulling her chair closer to Ziggy's bed. He was propped up with pillows and blinking owlishly around the med bay.

"No", he replied, shaking his head then grabbing it in pain.

"Are you hungry?" Scott asked. "Flynn went to the kitchen to get some food, maybe you could try eating something?"

"I feel sick," Ziggy said. Dillon was there just in time, holding the trashcan as Ziggy puked up his guts. By the time he was done he was breathing heavily and shaking. He laid back down, his face pale and clammy.

"Ziggy, you have to keep your eyes open," Summer said. Ziggy whimpered and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"It's alright, just breathe," Dillon said softly. Ziggy felt like a saw was going through his head, but he forced his eyes open.

"How about that movie?" Summer asked, smiling. She wanted to get his mind off the current situation as soon as possible.

"I'll go find something," Dillon said, leaving the room.

"I think we should take shifts," Summer suggested quietly, looking at Scott. "You and Flynn go get some rest, Dillon and I can handle it for now."

"I can hear you," Ziggy said, looking at them. "You don't have to worry about me."

"Last time I checked, your brain was totally scrambled. I think it's time to start worrying," Scott teased. Ziggy huffed, a faint smile on his lips.

"How's Godzilla sound?" Dillon asked as he walked back in the room, grabbing Doctor K's laptop and bringing it over.

"Giant lizard attacking Tokyo? Lots of explosions, my favorite," Ziggy replied, pushing himself upright.

"See you in six hours," Scott said before walking out of the room.

"Can we dim the lights?" Ziggy asked, squinting up at Dillon.

"Nope, the whole point of this is to keep you awake," Dillon replied, setting up the laptop on a table at the foot of the bed and grabbing a chair.

"Oh yah, I forgot," Ziggy mumbled.

But soon it was evident that Ziggy was getting worse. After repeatedly asking Dillon to dim the lights, Summer and Dillon finally had to consent. After that Ziggy relaxed and told them meaningless facts about Godzilla until the end of the movie, at which point he insisted they watch the sequel.

"Hey guys, you came just in time for my favorite part," Ziggy said as Scott and Flynn walked into the room, surveying the damage. Summer was asleep in her chair, her neck bent at an awkward angle. Dillon was sitting up, stoutly refusing to let his body show any signs of fatigue.

"Come on Summer," Flynn said, gently shaking her shoulder. She jerked awake, blinking around.

"Oh gosh, sorry guys," Summer apologized.

"It's alright, Ziggy seems to be doing just fine," Scott said, watching his teammate. Though Ziggy was awake, he seemed dazed and kept looking around in confusion. Scott figured that wasn't a good sign.

"See you in the morning," Summer said, yawning heavily as she stood up.

"It's alright Dillon, we've got it," Flynn said when he noticed the black ranger hadn't moved.

"I think I'll stay," Dillon said.

"Come on dude, you've been sitting here for six hours, you need to go get some rest," Scott argued. Dillon looked up at him.

Finally he stood up. "Just make sure you keep him awake," he said, looking at Ziggy, who was totally caught up in the movie.

"That's the plan," Flynn said, smiling.

"Come on Ziggy, you've just gotta keep your eyes open a little longer," Scott coaxed, waiting for Flynn to hurry back.

"Hey Zig, what's wrong?" Dillon asked as he rushed to his friend's side, Flynn hot on his heels. Dillon looked down at the younger ranger, concerned when he saw that Ziggy was hardly responsive.

"He's exhausted," Scott explained. "We won't be able to keep him awake much longer."

"Did you already give him the caffeine?" Dillon asked. Scott held up the empty syringe that Doctor K had prepared for them, knowing that it would come to a point where Ziggy wouldn't be able to stay awake on his own.

"Alright, it's okay," Dillon said, turning back to Ziggy. "How about we get you up and walking around? Only half an hour to go, then we can wake up Doctor K and she can check you out and you can get some sleep."

"I wanna sleep now," Ziggy slurred, his eyes slowly sliding closed.

"No, you can't do that," Dillon said, grabbing Ziggy's arm and pulling it around his shoulders. He hoisted Ziggy upright and slowly began to walk around the garage, willing his heavy legs to keep moving. He knew if they stopped, Ziggy would fall asleep. And he couldn't let that happen.

Flynn came and took Ziggy's other arm, and between the two of them they managed to keep him upright and moving. Scott stood nearby with his arms folded across his chest, waiting to spring into action at any sign of Flynn or Dillon growing too tired to continue.

"Stop," Ziggy whined, his head drooping forward.

"You know we can't do that," Flynn said.

The minutes dragged by, but finally Scott turned and hurried to Doctor K's room, soon returning with a disheveled doctor who grimly led the way into the med bay, wearing fluffy bunny slippers.

"I need you to stay very still," she instructed Ziggy as she began to scan his head. She worked in silence for a few moments, checking the images on her computer.

"Well?" Dillon asked impatiently.

"He still has a concussion, but from the looks of it he should be fine resting now. There doesn't seem to be any lasting damage," Doctor K replied. She turned to say something to Ziggy, only to find him already fast asleep.

"He'll be fine here for tonight," she said, turning to the rangers. "I suggest we all go back to bed."

"Brilliant plan," Flynn said, leading the way to the staircase. The three teammates trudged up the stairs and to their rooms, thankful to finally be heading to bed. It had been a long day, but they would need their rest if they were going to be ready to face the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

Ziggy slowly became conscious of the world when he heard frantic voices. He knew there was something wrong, knew that he should get up before Doctor K came in his room and blared her foghorn in his ear, but he couldn't. It was like his body was weighted down, too heavy for him to move. Even opening his eyes proved to be too hard, so he just lay there, trying to figure out what was going on.

"He's stabilized," Doctor K said, her voice higher than usual. "Let me see your arm."

"I'm fine, just worry about Scott," Flynn argued. Ziggy was starting to get really confused. What had happened to Scott and Flynn, and why were they in his room?

Slowly Ziggy forced his eyes open, momentarily blinded by the overhead light. Once he was able to see, he turned his head, looking around him. Doctor K, Summer, Dillon, and Flynn were standing near a second bed in the med bay. Scott was lying on it, unconscious. Summer's left arm was in a sling, and Doctor K was wrapping a bandage around Flynn's leg. Dillon was the only one who appeared unharmed.

"Are…are you guys okay?" Ziggy asked, struggling upright.

"Zig!" Dillon said, hurrying to his side. "It's good to see you awake."

"How are you feeling?" Summer asked.

"Sore, and like I could sleep for another month, but okay," Ziggy replied. "What happened?"

"You had a concussion," Dillon replied. "You've been out of it for almost two days."

"Two days?!" Ziggy squeaked, amazed he could sleep that long. "So what happened to you guys?"

"New attack bot," Flynn replied, grimacing as he tested putting weight on his injured leg.

"You guys took on an attack bot just the four of you?" Ziggy asked.

"You weren't in any shape to fight," Dillon said, recognizing that look on his friend's face. Ziggy nodded, looking away.

"But we defeated the bot, and once Scott wakes up things will be back to normal," Summer said, trying to lighten the mood.

Ziggy sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Dillon reached forward to steady him, but Ziggy pulled away, standing up on his own. He walked out of the room, the other rangers and Doctor K watching him go.

"I'll go talk to him," Summer said, but Dillon grabbed her shoulder.

"Give him some time alone, he'll be alright," he said, watching Ziggy walk out of the garage.

_This is all my fault. If I was stronger, I wouldn't have gotten a concussion, then the others wouldn't have had to fight that attack bot without me. Scott, and Summer and Flynn are hurt because of me._

Ziggy snapped the twig from the tree, glad the weather matched his mood. Dark clouds were circling overhead, warning of rain. The weather programmers obviously were bored of continuous sunshine and blue skies. But he wasn't complaining.

The park was empty except for him, yet Ziggy didn't mind. It meant he could think in peace, not having to worry about anyone seeing him or wanting to talk to him.

The first few drops began to hit. Ziggy pulled his hood over his head, hunkering down on the ground at the base of the tree. He knew he was being stupid, sitting out in the rain when he was still recovering from a head wound, but he couldn't imagine going back and facing the others, not yet.

"Ziggy, do you copy?" Doctor K's voice said through his morpher's intercom. "I've sent Dillon to find you."

Ziggy got to his feet, knowing it was useless running from Dillon. Doctor K had a tracker in each of the morphers so she could find them if something ever went wrong, but for once Ziggy didn't want to be found. He didn't want to be rescued. He just wanted to be left alone.

Dillon's car pulled up nearby, and he rolled down his window. "Get in!" he shouted.

Ziggy obediently trudged over, climbing into the car.

"Aren't you freezing?" Dillon asked, turning up the heater.

"I'm fine," Ziggy replied, rubbing his hands together.

"Look, Zig, what happened wasn't your fault," Dillon said, knowing that's what was bothering the other ranger so much. "You had a serious concussion and needed to rest, if you had tried to fight you could've gotten hurt much worse."

"Instead everyone else got hurt fighting without me," Ziggy said.

"Dude, that's why there's five of us. So if something happens, we can still keep fighting to protect the city. Injuries happen," Dillon said.

Ziggy was silent. Dillon revved the engine, turning the car around and heading back to the garage.

"You should probably get some rest when we get back, you don't want Doctor K poking you anymore than she already has," Dillon suggested.

"Okay," Ziggy mumbled. Dillon looked sideways at his friend, concerned. The kid was hard to understand sometimes, like how upset he was that the other rangers were injured, or thinking he was somehow responsible for it.

"Ziggy, it wasn't your fault," Dillon said, searching for the right words. "You're just as strong as the rest of us, a concussion doesn't make you weak. It just means that when you fight, you fight with everything you've got. You're important to this team, Zig. Don't forget that."

The rest of the car ride back to the garage was in silence, but Dillon knew he had said exactly what Ziggy needed to hear, because the other ranger relaxed and by the time they got back was talking about how awesome Godzilla was.

Dillon smiled. "Yah buddy, Godzilla is pretty amazing."


End file.
